Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra feels experienced Ajinkya Rahane was not up to the mark as a leader while captaining Kolkata Knight Riders for the first time. KKR suffered a seven-wicket loss in the opening game of IPL 2025 against RCB at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday.
RCB were able to chase down the target of 175 runs with 22 balls to spare. Chopra reckons that Rahane missed a trick by introducing Sunil Narine late into the attack. Rahane introduced Narine in the eighth over but the renowned commentator feels it was a bit too late.
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt kicked off the innings in the topmost gear, scoring 80 runs in the Powerplay overs as KKR bowlers could not stem the flow of runs.
“There was a question mark on Salt’s form. You can give a thumbs up with both hands there. It’s another thumbs up for RCB along with Virat Kohli’s excellent batting. It was Salt’s assault. Two balls had to be brought back from Salt Lake. They went very far. One team’s loss, another team’s happiness,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“There I felt that what I said for Rajat Patidar, it seemed the same for Rahane. Why weren’t you bringing Sunil Narine? Who were you waiting for? They kept hitting but you were not bringing him. He got very late in bringing him. So Rahane missed a trick there. So thumbs down for KKR, thumbs up for RCB,” he added.
On the other hand, Chopra praised RCB captain Rajat Patidar for playing a crucial cameo of 16-ball 34. Patidar also smashed Sunil Narine for a six, which was his third maximum against the West Indies’ spinner.
“I also wanted to see where Devdutt Padikkal would play. He is batting at No. 3. Runs weren’t scored but it’s okay. However, Rajat Patidar looked beautiful and this is the stat, he has played only 14 balls off Sunil Narine and he has hit three sixes,” he said.
“To put it in context, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, who have been playing against this bowler for 13-14 years, have totally hit four sixes. So Rajat Patidar’s supremacy against Sunil Narine came to the fore,” Chopra observed.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Friday.
